Pasta, Ham, and Vegetable Gratin

There are infinite leftover possibilities but there are very few that my family will actually eat.  This is a challenge when you cook big for a small family.  I found this very simple but super delicious recipe by Jacques Pepin.  There are no processed, salty, condensed soups in the recipe (although I admit to occasionally using condensed soups).  
Here's the recipe as it was written, but I did need to adjust the cooking time.  Just broiling the casserole alone wasn't enough to warm it through in my oven, so I actually baked it at 425 degrees for an additional 20 minutes and that worked.  I left out the peas because I didn't have any on hand and used frozen corn kernels instead of fresh.  Just make sure that your sauce has thickened up sufficiently before adding your cream.  This is not a typical "mac and cheese" type casserole where you are going to have a bunch of gooey cheese sauce.  The sauce is actually quite thin and the picture in his cookbook even shows a thin sauce.  Even though this recipe calls for milk and heavy cream, it is surprisingly light.  I loved how all of the fresh vegetables stayed crisp-tender.  And my children loved it too!  Surprise-surprise! <3

Pasta, Ham and Vegetable Gratin:
From the cookbook, Jacques Pepin Fast Food My Way

About 1 3/4 cup pasta shells or penne (about 5 ounces)
1 1/2 cups diced (1/2 inch) cooked ham (about 7 ounces)
3/4 cup corn kernels (from about 1 ear of corn)
1/2 cup peas, fresh or frozen
1 1/2 cups cubed (1/2 inch) zucchini
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup grated Swiss (Gruyere or Emmenthaler) cheese

White Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring about 2 quarts salted water to a boil in a large saucepan.  Add the pasta, stir will, and return to a boil.  Boil, uncovered, until cooked but still slightly firm, or al dente, about 12 minutes.  Drain, coll under cold running water, then drain again.  (You will have about 3 cups)
Put the cooked pasta in a large bowl and stir in the ham, corn, peas, zucchini, salt, pepper, and Swiss cheese.

For the white sauce:
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour, and mix it in with a whisk.  Add the milk and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally with the whisk, especially at the edges of the saucepan.  The sauce should thicken.  Remove the pan from the heat, and mix in the cream.  Let cool to lukewarm.

Heat the broiler.  Combine the sauce with the pasta mixture in the bowl and transfer to a gratin dish or shallow baking dish with about a 6-cup capacity.  Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top.

Broil about 4 inches from the heat source for 6 to 8 minutes, or until bubbly hot an the surface is lightly browned.  Serve immediately.

*Make ahead:
The gratin can be made ahead, sprinkled with Parmesan, and kept covered, at room temperature for a few hours or refrigerated for up to a day before it is finished in the oven.  If refrigerated, bring back to room temperature and bake on a cookie sheet for about 30 minutes in a 425 degree oven until heated through and lightly browned on top.  Do not try to keep the cooked gratin a a warm oven for more than 10 to 15 minutes, or the pasta will swell up in the liquid and become gooey.